From the What's Your Dosha? website:

"According to Ayurveda, each of us has a unique mix of three mind/body principles which creates our specific mental and physical characteristics. These three principles are called 'doshas'. Most of us have one or two doshas which are most lively in our nature, with the remaining one(s) less significant."

Take the quiz and see where you are.  To get a bit more of a personal perspective on how this is useful, read this blog entry by the marvelous Marianne. 

I saw this gorgeous book on a recent trip to Berkeley and can't stop thinking about it.  This is one in a series of books with photographs and wisdom from around the world.  Pictured above is Offerings:  Buddhist Wisdom for Every Day.

Awakenings:  Asian Wisdom for Every Day

Wisdom:  365 Thoughts from Indian Masters

Origins:  African Wisdom for Every Day

Revelations:  Latin American Wisdom for Every Day 

These are not only beautiful books that can be a source of inspiration every day, but I think they could also be wonderful travel guides - a way to learn about a part of the world that you are going to visit or would love to explore.

I am two chapters into The Best Buddhist Writing 2007 and have already marked numerous passages.  Buddhist insights and wisdom in perfect portions. 

There was an article in today's LA Times about a group of Southern California Muslims who traveled to Mecca in December to "...perform the exacting rituals of the hajj...that is the pinnacle of an observant Muslim's life."  2.3 million people gather for this ritual every year, and I can only imagine what it must be like to watch this incredible event. 

"In a way, the scene symbolized Islam worldwide. When Muslims pray five times a day, they face the Kaaba, so across the globe Muslims in ever-growing concentric circles focus their energies on this one spot."

I found the article and photos powerful, intriguing, inspiring and fascinating.

A friend from the Netherlands has been staying with us, wearing a cool leather bracelet from Buddha to Buddha that I've been admiring all week.  They have a fun collection of chunky silver jewelry as well as some beautiful Buddha images in their painting portfolio.

From there I hopped over to Spirituality & Practice, a website overflowing with tools and resources to help bring a little (or maybe a lot) more mindfulness into our days.  This site is very well organized, enabling visitors to search by topic or medium (books, DVDs, blogs, etc.) and it is updated just about everyday.

Zencast became one of my best friends when I was training for the Breast Cancer 3-Day this past fall.  There was something incredibly peaceful and calming about listening to an uplifting, thought-provoking lecture from my ipod while walking for ten miles or more.  I love these lectures; they always stay with me.  Tara Brach's lecture on Radical Acceptance is one of my favorites.

If you are looking to dig a little deeper, Pema Chodron has created a wealth of books, tapes, lectures and other resources to help us find our way through all the tangles life can throw in our way.  A dear friend who just finished a two year station as a UN human rights worker in Afghanistan used Pema Chodron's tapes to get through a particularly painful period of struggle, and I used a quote of Chodron's - which I tacked to my front door and read everyday for a year - to help me get through the most difficult year of my life.  From the Shambhala Center website:

"Pema Chödrön is a leading exponent of teachings on meditation and how they apply to everyday life. She is widely known for her charming and down-to-earth interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism for Western audiences."

The quote that got me through the muck:

"Only to the extent which we expose ourselves over and over again to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us."  -Pema Chodron

I'll know that quote word for word for the rest of my days. 

I have been reading After the Ecstasy, the Laundry for many weeks now, savoring it between other books that get finished during my breaks.  I want to take it in slowly and ponder all of its stories and wisdom.  This is a book that will always be on my nightstand.

"We need to remember that where we are going is here, that any practice is simply a means to open our heart to what is in front of us.  Where we already are is the path and the goal."  -Jack Kornfield. 

This is the interior view of a lovely Meditation Hut I read about recently.  Where are your sacred spaces? 

One of the greatest blessings of my life is the amount of travel I have been able to do.  The fact that I can take a faraway journey and intertwine that experience into new works of art is my lifelong fantasy come true, for these two passions have always burned brightly ever since I can remember.  As much as I love going somewhere new, exploring a city I've never visited and getting that new stamp in my passport, when I think of that one place on earth where I know I will always feel more deeply connected to myself and the earth and God than anywhere else, I think of Big Sur.  Big Sur is magic turquoise waters, winding footpaths through forests of trees, perfect stillness and delicious silence.  In Big Sur I feel protected from the dangers of the world and my own worst fears; in Big Sur I feel safe, warm and deeply peaceful.

It is important we find those places that feel sacred to us.  For many fortunate souls, that might be in their own backyard, for some it might be a shrine in Kyoto or an ashram in India.  Regardless of where we find our deepest spiritual connections, what is important is that we take the time to visit these places now and then.  Visit as in go there, visit as in look at your photo album from a transformative trip, visit as in meditate about it, visit as in say a prayer of gratitude for having found a place that fills your creative well.

I have not been to Big Sur in quite a while, but I look at my pictures from all my various trips there quite often.  And if anyone I know is contemplating a trip there, I am eager to share advice and tips about places to stay, explore, hike and enjoy.  Big Sur is not the only sacred place I have, but it has special significance to me for a variety of reasons.  When I am feeling overwhelmed, confused, frustrated or creatively blocked, all I have to do is think about Big Sur and my breath immediately begins to settle down and a new calmness begins to seep into my bones.  Big Sur is a special home to me, and I carry it with me wherever I go.

What are some of your sacred places, and how do you bring them to your daily life?